Every Lake
Quabbin Reservoir
A reservoir built by flooding four Massachusetts towns off the map in 1938.
- 21 ft · first step
- 42 ft
- 63 ft
- 84 ft
- 105 ft
- 126 ft · bottom
About Quabbin Reservoir
Quabbin Reservoir was built between 1930 and 1939 when the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority dammed the Swift River Valley to supply drinking water to Boston. Four towns, Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott, were disincorporated, their residents relocated, and their buildings razed or burned before the valley was allowed to flood. The reservoir reached full capacity in 1946 and remains the primary water source for greater Boston.
The land around the reservoir has been closed to development since construction, leaving roughly 55,000 surrounding acres under Department of Conservation and Recreation control. Fishing is permitted by boat from designated gates, with a resident population of lake trout, landlocked salmon, and smallmouth bass, but swimming and private shoreline access are prohibited to protect the water supply. Bald eagles were reintroduced to the reservoir in the 1980s after the state used it as a release site, and the population has since spread across Massachusetts.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 476 roads engraved around the shore, 0 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Quabbin Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Quabbin Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 21 ft, 42 ft, 63 ft, 84 ft, 105 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 126 ft. The lake covers about 40.4 square miles, and 476 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Quabbin Reservoir map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Quabbin Reservoir for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Quabbin Reservoir.
Quabbin Reservoir map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Quabbin Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Quabbin Reservoir is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 126 ft
- 40.4 square miles of water
- 476 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
